Carter Capps is scheduled to make his second Cactus League appearance Thursday in the Padres’ spring finale, but he will have to wait awhile longer to make his official San Diego debut.

The reliever, less than 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery, will open the season on the disabled list. His stay, Capps and the Padres believe, will not be long.

Manager Andy Green said the right-hander could travel with the team to Los Angeles, where the Padres will play their season opener Monday. With the minor league season not beginning until later in the week, Capps could throw a simulated inning or two at Dodger Stadium.

“I think it’s fair to say two Cactus League appearances isn’t enough to break camp on the opening-day roster,” Green said. “He is close, but he still has some growth ahead as far as getting back to who he’s been in the past.

“We’re excited about where he is. It’s just too quick, and we don’t want to accelerate his path to hit some artificial deadline of April 3 like it’s a must-have date. The whole goal with him is to have him healthy through the entire baseball season, have him be a very impactful reliever for us and the true backend piece that we believe he is.”

Monday, Capps made his first big-league appearance since 2015, when he posted a 1.16 ERA in 30 appearances for Miami. The rust showed — he recorded only out while throwing 10 of 23 pitches for strikes — but the Padres were encouraged by some signs, including a fastball that touched 95 mph.

Whenever Capps does complete his comeback, he could figure prominently in the bullpen. Green said he expects the 26-year-old to vie for the closer job at some point. Brandon Maurer will begin the season as the Padres’ primary ninth-inning arm.

“And that’s no disrespect to Brandon Maurer or Brad Hand or Ryan Buchter, the guys who are in that conversation right now,” Green said. “For me, he’ll pitch himself to that role. He’s not going to come back and immediately assume that role.

“We couldn’t be more excited for who he is and what his future is. The path is fast, when you talk about recovery from TJ. Probably not as fast as Carter would like. But it’s really fast, so it’s our job to kind of slow him down at times. As he builds himself and pushes toward that role, if he assumes it, there’s not going to be any resistance on my part.”

Five down

The Padres on Wednesday optioned right-hander Kevin Quackenbush to Triple-A El Paso and reassigned righty Carlos Fisher, catcher Tony Cruz and infielders Jamie Romak and Brett Wallace to minor league camp. Thirty-six players remain in major league camp. Six of those players, including Capps, will start the season on the DL.

While the Padres should announce setting its opening-day rotation on Thursday, they might not finalize their 25-man roster until the weekend. The front office and coaching staff are still mulling a number of scenarios, including the possibility of carrying four catchers. If they do go that route, potential super-utility player Christian Bethancourt would primarily function as an eighth reliever.

“If we think there’s long-term value in him, he changes the whole complexion of the roster in that regard,” Green said. “And if you do keep those catchers, it minimizes the number of pieces you can put out in the field, in the outfield or in the infield. Those are real discussions going on right now, and I think they’ll persist for the next couple of days because there’s a trade-off with every one of them.”

Green offered a reminder that opening day is only a tiny fraction of the season. Over the course of six months, the Padres likely will do plenty of shuttling between the big-league club and the minors.

“Once you get to May 27, (for example), April 3 is just another day you played,” Green said. “We have the potential to use some of our pieces in unique fashions in up-down concepts that cover some of our inexperience.”

Forgettable outing

Jhoulys Chacin made his final Cactus League tune-up Wednesday, and it was one he’d rather forget. In a 9-9 tie with the White Sox, the opening-day starter allowed six runs over three innings.

The ball, it should be noted, was jumping for both sides. Padres catcher Austin Hedges hit his first two home runs of the spring. First baseman Wil Myers and shortstop Erick Aybar also homered.

Chacin surrendered eight hits, including three of the White Sox’s four home runs. He walked two batters and struck out two.

“Not the best way to finish your spring training, to be ready for the first game,” Chacin said. “My sinker wasn’t working today. It was all flat.

“It’s good to get games like this out of the way before the season starts.”

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